What are the Basic Parameters of Espresso Coffee and What are the Steps to Make a Shot of Espresso?

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Basic Espresso Parameters from FrontStreet Coffee

• Extraction time is 25 seconds, try to follow this duration unless you plan to do some different experiments.

• Coffee grounds amount will depend on the size of your portafilter (single and double basket), each shot of Espresso requires 8-10 grams of coffee grounds.

• A shot of Espresso is usually 25-35 milliliters, which can be easily adjusted through other parameters.

14 Steps for Making Perfect Espresso

1. Cups

Remember to warm the cups before using them, rinse with hot water. Hot coffee cups can better maintain the coffee's flavor.

2. Portafilter & Basket

Next, check if your portafilter is clean and dry. Remember: residual coffee grounds will affect the taste of Espresso. A wet basket will also affect Espresso extraction, as it will make the coffee grounds damp.

3. Coffee Bean Grind and Dose

Put the ground coffee into the basket, paying attention to controlling the grind size and dose to ensure it doesn't cause under-extraction or over-extraction (under-extraction will cause sourness, over-extraction will increase bitterness). If you have a precisely calibrated grinder, it's easy to control; if not, please use an electronic scale.

4. Distribution

Lightly tap the edge of the basket to distribute the coffee grounds evenly. You can use a distribution tool if you have one. This step is very important as it ensures there are no large gaps between the coffee grounds. If gaps are too large, due to the channeling effect of water, during extraction, water will gather more toward the gaps rather than passing evenly through the coffee grounds, causing some coffee grounds to be over-extracted.

5. Tamping

The purpose of this step is also to eliminate gaps between coffee grounds and ensure even distribution of coffee grounds.

Use a tamper to press the coffee grounds firmly, ensuring your arm is applying force vertically and evenly along the coffee grounds. The usual recommendation is 30 pounds of pressure, but you don't need to strictly follow this. Vertical application of force ensures the coffee surface is flat, which can avoid inconsistent extraction.

6. Polishing the Puck

Use the tamper to correct the coffee surface, place the tamper on the coffee grounds, then rotate. This will eliminate small ridges on the coffee surface, ensuring it's flat and smooth.

7. Clean the Basket

Imagine ordering a cappuccino and finding coffee grounds in your cup. To avoid this situation, make sure to clean the coffee grounds from around the edges and sides of the basket.

8. Clean the Group Head

Before attaching the portafilter, you need to first clean the group head on the espresso machine. This will eliminate any residual coffee grounds on it. Don't neglect this step - if any residual coffee grounds get in, the final taste will be inconsistent.

9. Extract Espresso

Finally, attach the carefully prepared portafilter to the espresso machine, press the extraction button, and start extracting your Espresso. Make sure to extract immediately after attaching. If you wait 2 minutes to take a phone call before coming back, all your previous preparation will be wasted.

10. Serve the Coffee

Whether the espresso machine is set to automatic extraction time or you manually press the stop button after 25 seconds, once extraction is complete, you can remove the coffee cup from the machine's drip tray. A shot of Espresso is now ready - you can serve it directly to guests, or start steaming milk to make lattes or cappuccinos.

11. Discard the Puck

Remove the portafilter from the espresso machine, then pour the extracted coffee grounds into a dedicated container. Remember never to skip this step - after all, leaving coffee grounds sitting on the espresso machine isn't good for it.

12. Cleaning

Rinse your portafilter clean to prepare for the next Espresso.

13. Clean the Group Head

Open the water outlet button and use a small brush to clean the group head. You need to thoroughly remove any residual coffee grounds on it, otherwise it will ruin your next cup.

14. Reattach the Portafilter

Reattach the portafilter to the espresso machine. This will keep the portafilter clean and hot, and you won't have to search for it when making the next Espresso.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473